Dram

Dram is a unit of measure that is used in various fields, including medicine. It is derived from the Greek word drachma, which was a unit of weight in ancient Greece. In the medical field, the dram is often used to measure the weight of small amounts of medication.

History

The dram was originally a coin and a weight in ancient Greece. The word drachma is derived from the verb dratto, which means "to grasp". In the Byzantine Empire, the drachma was a weight of gold. In modern times, the dram is used in the apothecaries' system of weights, which is a historical system of mass units that were used by physicians and apothecaries for medical recipes, and also sometimes by scientists.

Usage in Medicine

In medicine, the dram is used to measure the weight of medication. It is part of the apothecaries' system of weights. The system is based on the grain, which is the smallest unit, and includes the dram, ounce, and pound. The dram is equivalent to 60 grains or 1/8 of an ounce.

Conversion

The dram can be converted to other units of measure. In the avoirdupois system, which is the system of weights used in the United States, one dram is equivalent to 1.772 grams. In the metric system, one dram is equivalent to 3.887 grams.

See Also

• Apothecaries' system
• Grain (unit)
• Ounce
• Pound (mass)

References

Dram Resources
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